Convenience Foods

Convenience foods are foods that have been—fully or partly—prepared commercially and consequently require little effort by the consumer. Convenience foods range from ready meals to canned and frozen foods. The first require almost no preparation, the latter reduce the time spent on cooking, but they can still be part of a larger, even complex and time-consuming, cooking process. Convenience foods became widely available and popular in American kitchens in the 1950s and have conquered the world in the decades following their successful introduction. Quick and easy to use, and requiring little effort or skills, users of convenience food can devote their precious time and energy to other activities.

Because of their ongoing popularity and controversy, the study of convenience foods will remain high on the agenda ...